Expectations have flown through the roof for the Philadelphia 76ers.

And for good reason.

Paul George is coming! Andre Drummond is Joel Embiid’s backup again! Eric Gordon has been added! Kelly Oubre Jr. is re-signing!

All of the good news over the last 24 hours has led to the Sixers being listed as the second or third favorite to win the 2025 NBA Finals behind the newly-crowned champion Boston Celtics.

DraftKings lists the Sixers as the No. 2 favorite at +800. FanDuel has them listed at +850, in third with the Denver Nuggets slightly ahead of them.


Regardless of where they rank in the futures column on July 1st, the message is clear. The Sixers’ championship window widened because they added a third star to partner with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.

So of course the star power is important, but the two other moves made to sign Drummond and keep Oubre are as important for the Sixers’ title prospects.

One of the biggest weaknesses the Sixers had was the lack of bench scoring and an effective backup for Embiid. Drummond is better on the boards than Paul Reed and can actually stay on the floor for long stretches.

Gordon’s addition brings more shooting to the table, as does first-round draft pick Jared McCain, who should be a standout of the new-look second unit.

As of Monday afternoon, the Sixers have a starting five of George, Maxey, Embiid, Gordon, and Oubre. Drummond and McCain are the foundation of the bench unit.

That’s a great seven-man starting point to work with eyes on the championship. A playoff rotation is usually eight or nine players (or in the case of the New York Knicks just six guys who Thibs runs into the ground), so one or two more depth pieces still have to be added, but that group already looks much better and more well-rounded than the unit the Sixers trotted out in this last postseason.

Boston is still the gold standard in roster management right now, but the Sixers are now better equipped to deal with the unit led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

That’s exactly what we wanted from the Sixers offseason. It sure as hell doesn’t guarantee the Sixers will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Embiid and George don’t exactly have the best health records, but right now as everything stands, it’s fair to say the Sixers deserve to be in the position the odds makers have them in.